Camshaft treating machine



Feb. 20, 1940. D. J. CAMPBELL CAMSHAFT TREATING MACHINE Filed Jan 9,1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sum/w g Feb. 20, 1940. D. J. CAMPBELL CAMSHAFTTREATING MACHINE Filed Jan. 9, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Erica/wen) Feb. 20,1940. 0. J. CAMPBELL 2,190,931

' CAMSHAFT TREATING MACHINE Filed Jan. 9, 1939 6 Sheets-$heet 4 mm m 6Sheets-Sheet 5 D. J. CAMPBELL CAMSHAFT TREATING MACHINE Filed Jab. 9,1959 A W m Dav/14 0 J [241F554 4 Feb.

Feb; 20,1940. 0. J. CAMPBELL CAMSHAFT TREATING MACHINE 6 Sheets-SheetfiFiled Jan. 9, 1939 Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT DFFICEtawa County, Mich.,

assignor to Campbell,

Wyant & Cannon Foundry Company, M uskegon Heights, Mich, a corporationof Michigan Application January 9.

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for the treatment of cast camshafts,or like articles, wherein the cams in the length of a camshaft are firstheated to a relatively high temperature and immediately cooled, theresult being a hardening of the cams to enable them to sustain the wearto which they are subjected in use. The present invention has been usedin the tempering and hardening of the cams of cast camshafts for -in- 1oternal combustion engines, such as are used in large amounts in motorvehicles. A camshaft in its length is equipped with cams for the controlof both the intake and exhaust valves which are used to close the intakeand exhaust ports to the cylinders of an engine, and which are lifted bythe cams against the force of heavy springs and are returned to closingposition by said springs, the cams operating against intervening tappetsbetween them and the stems of. the valves with resultant wear upon thecam surfaces which must be of a wear resisting character, which the castcams as they come from the foundry operation and after they have beenmachined to size do not have so as to be able to withstand such servicewithout hardening.

With my invention it is a primary object and purpose to produce amachine in which cams may be fed to the machine one after the other atsuitable regulated intervals, the cams heated for a so predeterminedtime to elevate the temperature to the desired degree, and immediatelythereafter the heated cams on a camshaft are subjected to an applicationof mixed air and water vapor; and during the time that the cams of oneshaft 3 are being thus cooled by the projection of air and water vaporthereagainst, the following camshaft is having its cams heated. Thecamshafts are moved through the machine in a .step-bystep rotativemovement, a camshaft at one of the it) intervals between consecutivesteps of movement being heated and at the succeeding interval beingcooled by the application of the cool air and water vapor. It isthereafter carried to an outlet, in the machine through which it passesand is -13 carried away. With my invention a high quan tity productionin the temperingand hardening treatment of the cams is obtained withresultant economy of manufacture. The cams are cast from an alloy ofcast iron in accordance with any so desired means of casting. Firstheating cams and then treating the same by directing a mixture of airand water vapor at a desired relatively low temperature has been foundto be particularly effective to get a hardened wearing surface of 55considerable depth without checks or cracking.

1939, Serial No. 249,911

The invention consists in novel constructions and arrangements of partsand operations of the same for effectively attaining the hardening ofthe cams of camshafts as a substantially continuous process, with theresult of greatly increased and more economical production.

The invention may he understood from the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine according to my invention, withsome parts shown in section and other parts removed for a betterdisclosure of the structure.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation with some parts shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section from front to rear substantially on theplane of the line V--V of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated bythe arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view of one end of a camshaft of thetype to be treated in the machine.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevation of a heating unit, onefor each cam at the length of a camshaft, the camshaft in Fig. 5 beingshown in transverse section.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section similar to Fig. l, the plane of the sectionbeing farther to the right than that of Fig. 3.

Fig.- 6a is a vertical-section and elevation similar to that shown inFig. 6, illustrating a modification in structure. A

Fig. 7 is an elevation with parts broken away and shown in section,illustrative of the Geneva mechanical movement by means of which therotating cam carrying carriage is periodically moved in a step-by-steprotative movement, and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section therethrough, the section being in a planeat right angles to the elevation shown in Fig. 7.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figuresof the drawings.

The camshaft which is to be treated is an elon gated casting having acylindrical body I from which at spaced apart intervals cams 2,substantially of the shape shown in Fig. 5, project radially and atdifferent radial directions from the cylinder body; and there areinterposed at the ends and in the length of the shaft between groups ofcams, cylindrical bearing sections 3 for mounting in spaced apartbearings on the engine block. The machine includes a stationarysupported by vertical posts 6, all preferably of angle iron form incross section. The supporting horizontal frame comprised of the rails 4and 5 adjacent opposite ends has castings 'I connected to and extendingupwardly therefrom of a general circular outline except at the bottomwhere resting upon and connected to the supporting frame, such endcastings I at their upper ends have projecting lugs through which a rod8 extends with nuts threaded onto the ends of the 'rod and with anelongated tubular sleeve 9 between said lugs, thereby providing a rigidstructure. The upper portion of the machine is covered with a sheetinetal hood I0 having an outlet Illa (Fig. 1) for drawing ofi productsof combustion and the air and water vapor which are produced in theoperation of the machine.

A shaft II extends between and through suitable bearings in the endsupports 1, and is covered by a surrounding sleeve I2 loose thereon. Thesleeve I2 adjacent its opposite ends carries heads I3 and I4, one forexample at the right hand end of the machine, as in Fig. 1, and theother at the left. The heads are of substantially the same structure,generally of a circular form having radially extending bosses, eight innumber as in the disclosure made, on each of which bosses a disk I5 ismounted for rotation by means of a short stub shaft I6 which passesthrough each of the equally spaced bosses and is rotatably mountedthereon. The disks I5 extend toward each other, the stub shafts I6 beinghorizontal and parallel to the axis of the shaft II. At one end of themachine, the left hand end in Fig. 1, the shafts I6 are equipped withpinions I1 which are in meshing engagement with a gear carried on theshaft I I, whereby when shaft II is driven all of the disks I5 carriedby the head I4 are rotated.

An electric motor I8 is mounted on a suitable supporting platform I9(Fig. 1) below the horizontal frame 4, 5, its shaft having a drivepulley thereon in the same vertical plane with a driven pulley 2| at oneend of the shaft l I. An endless belt 22 around the pulleys 20 and 2Icauses shaft II to be continuously driven by the motor I8 when it isoperated. With this construction with the motor I8 running, shaft IIwill continuously rotate, the sleeve I2 on which the heads I3 and I4 aresecured will remain stationary, and the disks I5 carriedby the head I4at one end of the machine will be continuously rotated. When a camshaftis located lengthwise of and between the two heads I3 and I4 and has itsend cylindrical bearing enlargements 3 lying between and bearing upontwo adjacent disks I5, the camshaft will be rotated through the rotating contact of the disks I5 carried by the head I4 and the otherdisks I5 carried by the head l3 will be rotated by the camshaft.

At the opposite end of shaft II a drive pulley 23 is secured having anendless belt' 24 therearound which also passes around a driven pulley 25secured at the outer end of a short horizontal shaft 26 mountedimmediately below the frame 4, 5. Shaft 26 carries a worm 21 (Figs. '7and 8) which drives a worm wheel 21a secured upon a countershaft 34,being recessed or notched at four equally spaced apart points withconcave arcuate peripheral sections between the notches or recesses, theradius of curvature of which is thesame as the radius of curvature ofthe disk 28. This provides the well-known Geneva mechanical movement, itbeing evident that with each rotation of the shaft 29 a notch or recessin the star wheel 31 receives the pin 32 and the star wheel is turnedone-quarter of a revolution and thereupon turns the shaft 34 through anarc of 90.

The shaft '34 adjacent its front end is equipped with a relatively largegear 35 in meshing engagement with a pinion 36 (Fig. '7) fixed on athird countershaft 31. The rotation of the shaft 34 through one-quarterof a revolution causes a complete rotation of the pinion 36 and of theshaft 31. It isto be understood that the shafts 29, 34,31 andthe gearingmounted thereon are suitably mounted upon and carried within anenclosing housing as shown in Fig. 8.

At the front end of the shaft 31 and in front of said housing a crankarm 38 is fixed to said shaft. At'a distance outward on the arm 38 avertical pitman 39 is pivotally secured. at its lower end and at itsupper end has a pivotal connection to the lower end of a rod 40 mountedfor vertical reciprocation. The rod 40 extends upwardly above thesupporting frame 4, 5 and is guided in a suitable guide sleeve. thereon,as shown in Fig. 6, and at its upper end carries a dog 4I pivotallymounted at one end thereon and spring impelled inwardly normally so thatthe free end of the dog engages a ratchet wheel 42 mounted upon thesleeve I2. A second ratchet wheel 43 adjacent the ratchet wheel 42 isalso fixed to the sleeve I2 and is adapted to be engaged by a second dog44, spring actuated by spring 45. The rod 46 has a yoke at its upperend, between the arms of which dog 4I is located and mounted, and thedog 44 has a tail piece 41 which extends underneath a shoulder providedat one side of the.yoke whereby on downward movement of the rod 40 fromthe position shown in Fig. 6, the tail piece 41 is engaged and dog 44moved counterclockwise to disengage from the ratchet Wheel 43, thuspermitting the dog H to move downward to connect with the next lowernotch of the ratchet wheel 42. On the upward movement of the rod 40, dog4I having engaged against the next lowermost ratchet tooth, disk 42 isrotated one step and disk 43' is engaged by the retaining dog .44, atthe end of rapidly rotating shaft II, the reduction in speed beingaccomplished by the worm gearing 21 and 21a. Therefore, the sleeve I2,heads I3 and I4 and the disks I5 carrying the camshafts to be treatedwill remain in a relatively stationary position and ,will have nomovement except the rotative movement imparted to the disks and throughthem to the camshafts. But, periodically, there will be a partialrotative movement of the cam carriage which is provided by sleeve I2,heads I3, I4 and the like amounting to one-eighth of a complete rotationat each step. The ratchet dogs 42 and 43 carry eight equally spacedapart teeth, there are eight disks I5 on the heads I3 and I4 in thedisclosure made, and the periodic step-by-step rotation of the camshaftcarriage at predetermined intervals of time is through one-eighth of a.complete rotation of said carriage.

The dog 44 is loosely mounted upon a horizontal rock shaft 48 whichextends lengthwise of and is suitably mounted and carried by thesupporting frame. A bell crank lever having diverging upwardly extendingarms 45 and'5ll is mounted on said shaft 48. The arm 50 at its free endis equipped with a roller A plurality of pins 52, eight in number,extend from the head l4 inwardly, and as said head is moved oneeighth ofa revolution by the step-by-step movement described, a pin engages theroller 5| and rocks the bell crank lever in a clockwise direction. Alink 53 is pivotally connected at its lower end to the free end of arm48 and at its upper end substantially at the middle of one bar 54 of aparallel bar arrangement, the second upper parallel bar being shown at55. Both bars 54 and i 55 at their forward ends are pivotally connectedto a sheet metal shield 56. The upper bar 55 at its rear end ispivotally supported on a pivot 51 and a link 58 paralleling the shield56 connects the rear ends of the said bars 54 and 55. On the clockwisemovement of the bell crank lever the shield 56 is drawn downwardly andtoward a horizontal position and is thus moved out of the way, whereby acamshaft, for example the one shown at the left in Fig. 3, may be movedto the next position on the one-eighth revolution of the camshaftcarriage to a location in the rear of the normal position of the shield56, moving to such position while the shield is lowered. A nozzle 59through which air carrying water va-' por may be forced under pressureand of the shape shown in Fig.3, has its upper portion immediately backof the shield 56 and is provided with a series of outlet openings 60 atits upper side immediately below the camshaft, which after it has beenheated in its first position in the machine, is carried to the secondposition directly over the openings 66, and has projected against itsheated portions the mixed air and vapor through said openings 80.

The return of the shield 56 to its normal upper position, shown in Fig.3, is accomplished by a spring. An arm 6| extends downwardly from theknuckle of the bell crank lever and through the lower end of the arm aheaded rod 62 passes, pivot-ally and slidably mounted at its outer orforward end on a swivel block 63. A coiled compression spring 64 betweenthe block and the arm 6| is compressed on the clockwise movement of thebell crank lever and when freed for return after a pin 52 has engagedwith and passed from the roller 5|, spring 64 expands and returns theparts to their normal position, as in Fig. 3.

A rock shaft 65 extends between and is mounted for rocking movement atits ends on the frame members 1. End and intermediate arms 66 secured attheir lower ends to the rock shaft 65 extend upwardly and at their upperends carry a horizontal rod 61 parallel to and in front of the shaft II.On the rock shaft 65 toward each end thereof but within the heads I3 andH a lever is secured having an upwardly extending arm 68, upon which aroller 69 is mounted at its upper end, and a downwardly extending armthrough the lower end portion of which a headed rod 1| passes, beingmounted at its inner end on the the pin which has engaged the operatingarm 65a has passed by the end of the arm.

Along the length of the rod 61 a plurality of heating units are secured,one for each of the cams in the length of the camshaft to be heated.Each of said heating units (Figs. 3 and 5) includes a body 13 with aclamp 14 for clamping the same on the rod 61. The body 13 has a passagefor fuel which at its upper end communicates with passages throughdiverging pipes which, near their free ends, are turned inwardly towardeach other and terminate in nozzles 16 positioned so as to direct flameagainst the.

cams 2 on .the camshaft I when the parts are in their normal position,shown in Fig. 4. Fuel is carried through flexible conduits 11. It willbe noted that on the counterclockwise rotation of the rock shaft 65, therollers 69 are moved outwardly and the heating units are likewisecarried outwardly. The rollers 69 during the times when.

the camshaft carriage is at rest and while the camshaft which has justbeen introduced into the machine is being heated, bear against parts 3of such camshaft, as shown in Fig. 3. But when the camshaft carriage isto be turned the one step of one-eighth of a revolution, rollers 69 aremovedaway from the camshaft with which engaged, permitting it to bemoved onto'the next position in the machine and permitting the carriageto. take a position where it may receive a camshaft from the outside tobe carried between the next consecutive pairs of disks l5.

The camshafts which are to be treated are located one back of the otheron an inclined feed table which may comprise a plurality of bars 18extending forwardly and upwardly away from the front of the machine, thefront end of said bars terminating a short distance within the loweredge of the hood l0 (Figs. 3 and 6). The bars together with cross rods19, Fig. 6, provide a rigid frame down which the camshafts. to betreated roll by gravity. A rock shaft 80 extends through the deliveryend portions of the inclined bars 18 and in its length carries curvedfingers 8| and 82 which extend opposite eachother but at their ends areboth curved upwardly. An arm 83 is secured to the shaft 80 extendingdownwardly and forwardly, and at its lower end carries a weight 84, thenormal tendency of which is to rock shaft 80 counterclockwise and liftthe fingers 8| into a position to interpose in the path of movement ofthe camshafts and hold the lowermost camshaft from entering the machineuntil shaft 88 is rocked in an opposite direction. When rocked in theopposite direction the fingers 8| are lowered below the upper edges ofthe bars 18 while the fingers 82 are lifted and hold the next to thelowermost'camshaft from following the lowermost camshaft into themachine. Then when the shaft 80 returns to its'original position thenext succeeding camshaft rolls bygravity downward until stopped by thethen outwardly extending fingers 8|. A cab1e'85 is con- ,nected to thearm 83 between the ends of said arm, runs upwardly and forwardly over anidle pulley 86 and thence downwardly to the rod with which it isconnected, whereby on the downward movement of the rod 40, shaft B isrocked in a, clockwise direction to release the lowermost camshaft onthe inclined feed bar 18 for entrance to the machine.

At the rear of the machine and at the outlet end of the hood ID ahorizontal rod 81 is longitudinally mounted, carried by the end framemembers I, from which arms 88 extend upwardly. Rollers 89 are mounted atthe upper ends of the arms 88, which arms may be impelled forwardly bysprings. Thus the rearmost camshaft retained in the machine will be heldin position and not drop out of the machine until the camshaft carriagehas been rotated an additional step to carry said camshaft past therollers 89 whereupon the shaft is dropped upon a downwardly andrearwardly inclined table 90 down which it rolls away from the machine.

The head M, as shown in Fig. i, has a plurality of outwardly extendinglugs 91 betweenzconsecutive bosses which carry the disks [5, on each ofwhich a locating and adjusting screw 92 is mounted, against the end ofwhich one end of the camshafts entering the machine are adapted to bepositioned to properly locate the various cams 2 with reference to theheatingnozzies Hi. When a camshaft enters the machine in accord ancewith the hereinbefore described operation, it is engaged by consecutivedisks l5 at each end of the camshaft carriage and after entrance ispressed against adjacent its ends by the rollers 69. The disks l5rotating continuously, the canishafts are continuously rotated. Theflame from the nozzles 16 is directed against the cams and all portionsaround the shaft in the same planes with the cams. Such heatingcontinues for a period of time or until the shaft 29 makes a completerevolution. Thcreupon all of the several series of operations describedtake place in proper order. The rod 40 is reciprocated. the camshaftcarriage is rotated one step, the shield 56 is withdrawn, the rollers 69are moved outwardly. the heating 'units are moved downwardly andoutwardly and the shaft 83 is rocked to lower the retaining fingers 8|whereupon the camshaft which has been heated is moved to the secondstage or directly over the opening 60 in the air and water vaporejecting housing 59, and a new camshaft enters the machine for heating.The cold camshaft which has come into the machine is thereupon heatedwhile the shaft with thcheated cams is rapidly cooled and thetemperature very rapidly lowered with a resulting hardening of the cams.The shield at 56 prevents the cooling medium from interfering with theproper heating of the cams of the shaft which is being heated, and alsointerposes in the path of heated products of combustion going to theheated cams which are being cooled. The shaft-s which have been thustreated are retained in the machine until three succeeding steps ofoperation have been performed and are thereupon delivered to the table90.

The mechanism is timed in conjunction with the heating elements. so thata camshaft which is being simultaneously turned about its longitudinalaxis and the cams thereon heated, is held in a position to be heatedsufficiently long that the cams will receive a temperature producing ared heat which may approximate 1100, 1200 or 1300 F. The temperatureof-the cooling fluid which. preferably, comprises air carrying watervapor will be approximately 80' F. These temperatures both for theheating of the cams and of the cooling fluid may be subject to somevariation. The quantity of water vapor carried by the air may also bevaried if desired for obtaining different hardening effects. The cams ofa shaft \vl'iich have been heated are subjected to the projection of thecooling fluid thereagainst for the same length of time that the nextsucceeding shaft is being heated, whereby the heated cams becomecompletely cooled.

With the machine as described, rapid hardening treatment of the cams ofcamshafts is accomplished with a resultant high quantity production. Itis of course to be understood that many changes and variations inconstructive detail may be resorted to without departing from theinvention.

'And while the camshaft carriage in the disclosure made rotatesone-eighth of a complete rotation at each step of movement and,therefore, the ratchet wheels are equipped with eight teeth and themachine is otherwise designed to correspond, the invention is the sameshould the step-by-step movement be of a lesser or greater degree, thenumber of steps of movement required to make a complete revolution notbeing necessarily or essentially restricted to eight. Various otherchanges in design or detail of construction may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the invention which is defined in the appended claims.All forms of structure coming within the scope of the claims are to beconsidered as comprehended by my invention. a

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a movably mounted camshaftcarriage adapted to carry a number of camshafts spaced apart from eachother on said carriage, means for periodically moving said carriage instep-by-step movements with rest intervals between steps ,of movement.means for delivering a single camshaft to the carriage at each step ofmovement thereof, means for heating the cams on a shaft immediatelyafter its delivery to the carriage and during a rest interval of saidcarriage, means for simultaneously projecting a cooling fluid againstthe heated cams of the immediately previously heated camshaft, andmovable means extending between the camshafts which are beingsimultaneously heated and cooled to guard the one from thcheating meansand the other from the cooling means, combined with means forautomatically withdrawing said guarding means during the periods ofmovement of the carriage.

2. In a machine of the class described, a movable camshaft receivingcarriagc, means for moving said carriage in step-by-step movements withintervals of rest between steps of movement, an inclined way having itslower end adjacent the carriage, a plurality of camshafts being adaptedto be placed on said way one behind the other to move by gravity to saidcarriage, a rock shaft at the lower end of the way, fingers on saidshaft normally extending into the path of movement of said camshafts onthe way to hold them from leaving said way, means in operative timedrelation with the carriage moving means for rocking said rock'shaft tomove said fingers out of normal position and free'the lowermost camshaftwhereby it may leave the way and be delivered to said carriage, otherfingers on said rock shaft moved by said rocking movement into the pathof movement of the next succeeding camshaft on the way, means forheating a camshaft after delivery to the carriage and during an intervalof rest thereof, and means for cooling the heated cams on said camshaftat a succeeding rest position of the carriage and camshaft afterheating.

3. In a machine of the class described, a movable camshaft receivingcarriage, means for moving said carriage in step-by-step movements withintervals of rest between means for delivering a camshaft to thecarriage at each step of movement thereof, means for heating cams on acamshaft after delivery to said carriage and during an interval of.rest,means for cooling heated cams on said camshaft at a succeeding restposition of the carriage and camshaft, a shield normally extendingbetween a shaft which is beingheated and a shaft which is steps ofmovements,

being cooled, and means in operative timed re lation with the carriagemoving means for autostep movements of the carriage.

DONALD J. CAIMPZBEZIZJJ.

